Plainview Walmart now offers alternatives to skip checkout lines

Walmart now offers alternatives for those who wish to skip the checkout lines.

Walmart now offers alternatives for those who wish to skip the checkout lines.

Photo: Ellysa Harris/Plainview Herald

Photo: Ellysa Harris/Plainview Herald

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Walmart now offers alternatives for those who wish to skip the checkout lines.

Walmart now offers alternatives for those who wish to skip the checkout lines.

Photo: Ellysa Harris/Plainview Herald

Plainview Walmart now offers alternatives to skip checkout lines

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The Plainview Walmart is now offering alternatives to avoid standing in the checkout line.

The location hosted a ribbon cutting event Thursday afternoon to kick off its order ahead grocery service.

Store Manager Enrique Garcia said customers can now order their groceries up to four hours ahead, then pull up to a designated parking space to pick them up without having to step foot in the store.

The service works by signing into your Walmart online account at Walmart.com/grocery or download the Walmart Grocery app, choosing the Plainview Walmart location, shopping and then reserving a time slot to pick up groceries.

"Customers go online, place grocery order and pick up at a time when it's convenient," Garcia said.

Walmart employees will take a look at the provided grocery list and pick out the chosen products for you, he said.

On Thursday, the first day of grocery pickups, the store already had 35 grocery orders, Garcia said.

Orders can be made up to seven days in advance, Garcia said following a spirited ending to the ribbon cutting where Walmart employees recited their regular morning warmup chants.

"It's separate from the Walmart.com app," he said, because that includes general merchandise.

But the store recently launched a service specifically for that, too.

If you've been to Walmart recently, you've likely seen the orange pick-up tower by the grocery entrance.

"Basically, it's an automated system focused on online orders," Garcia said. "When a customer orders a Walmart.com app, we receive their order."

When customers are ready to pick it up, they can scan the provided code on their smartphone at the tower and the merchandise will either drop in the pick-up slot or you'll be provided with a shelf number to grab your items, Garcia said.

Garcia said the tower is unique. Only 400 locations across the company have one.